Combination rail-joint splicing and supporting plate



Feb. 21, 1928. 1,660,219

- J. COYNE COMBINATION RAIL JOINT SPLICING AND SUPPORTING PLATE FiledDec. 15. 1926 Patented Feb. 21,1928.

f/UNITET JAMES COYNE, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

COMBINATION BAIL-JOINT: SPLICING AND SUPPORTING PLATE; 7

Application filed December15, 1926. Serial N5. 154,895. 2

This invention relates to rail supporting devices andmore in particularto combina: tion rail-joint J splicing and supporting plates. k i I Theprimary .objectof this invention is to provide a combination rail-jointsplicing and supporting-plate whichis so Constructed and proportioned asto prevent sagging of the ends of connected rails during the passagethereover of the locomotive and car-wheels of a train, thus relievingsaid rail-ends'o'f the tremendous strains they are subjected to andreducing the wear of said ends to a degree substantially equal to thatof theless exposed portions of the rail. Another object of thisinvention-is the provision of a combination rail-joint splicing andsupporting-plate which enables-the elimination of the bearing-platescommonly employed in railroad track construction for the purpose ofincreasing the bearing surface of said rails on the ties in order toprevent any crushing pressures thereon. Still another object is theprovision of such a combination splicing and supporting device whichpermits the safe and efficient joining of rails with the minimum numberof parts and with great saving in time and labor. Yet another object ofthis invention is to produce such a device which is well adapted forquantity manufacture by the usual processes of hot rolling and bendingas they are performed in steel mills, in particular. Additional featuresand advantages of this invention will be dealt with in the course of thefollowing description considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawing which forms a part of this application, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my combination rail-joint splicing andsupporting plate, showing the connected rails in dot'an'd dash lines.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional View taken on line 22 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar view taken 011 line 3-3, Fig. 7

Referring to Fig. 1, the preferred construction of my combinationrail-joint splicing and supporting-plate consists of the bearing-plate 1and the two splice-bars 2. The bearing-plate comprises a sole-plate 3,of ample Width to accommodate the rails and the splice-bars, and havingone of its longitudinal edges bevelled off, as shown at i, to facilitatethe insertion of the bearingplate under the rail. Opposite said bevelledthe rotation of the bolt.

erg-e,

5 which, as shown in the drawing, has two steps'6 and 7, the purpose ofwhich is to provide better. accessibility fordriving-m or extracting theholding-down spikes 10. Ad jacent the rib 5 is a longitudinalrflange 8the top 9 of which is tapered outwardly to agree more or less with thebevelled edge 4: and for theldual purpose of reducing the weight of theplate vvand facilitating the drainageof rain-water.

the bearingplate is providedwith an mtegral, upwardlydirected,reinforcing r b The combination rail-joint s'plicing andsupporting-plate and railsare secured' to the railroad ties by' means ofspikes" 10, of the usual type, which are inserted in registeringrecesses and apertures 11 provided respectively in the edges of thelower flanges of the splice-bars 2 and in the sole-plate 3. Althoughthese fastening means satisfy the ordinary tralfie and load conditions,if desired, and where the railroad service is especially heavy,additional recesses 12 may be provided in both longitudinal edges of thebearing-plate for the insertion of another set'of spikes 18. Theseadditional recesses or apertures are not'visible in the farther side ofthe supporting-plate in Fig. 1,but are plainly shown in Fig. 2.Moreover, as shown in Fig. 3, the rigidity of. the complete jointconstruction may also be materially increased by providing midway. ofeach splice-bar a circular hole 14 in axial alignment with a square hole15 provided in the sole-plate, for the insertion of a bolt 16 havingpreferably a square shank 17 adapted to lit in the square hole 15, thuspreventing These bolts are secured in place by meansof nuts 18 whichrest upon suitably bevelled washers 19. The splice-bars are fastened tothe rails by means of the through-bolts 20 inserted through suitable andregisteringv holes 21 provided in said parts.

My combination rail-joint splicing and supporting-plate may be made ofsuitable length to bear either on two or three ties.

. In View of the fact that these plates may be port the rails intheirentire length. 'Under certain circumstances this feature may prove veryvaluable where the rails of a track, owing to increased traflic orincreased weight of the rolling stock, should prove too weal:towithstand such increased loads. In such cases the rails could bereadily strengthened at relatively lowcost and expeditiously.

I do not wish to limit myself to the exact form of the parts hereinshown and described, as it is evident that same may be changedwithoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention as defined in theappended claims.

I claim:

1. In a rail joint comprising two abutting rail'ends, two splice-barsand holding down spikes, the combination of a substantially fiatsole-plate having two bevelled longitudinal edges and anintegralupwardly directed stiffening rib positioned adjacent and par-"llel to one of said bevelled edges, saidsti'ffening rib having twosteps on the inner side thereof, the lower step acting as an abutmentforthe base of the adjacent splice-bar and the upper step being disposedoutwardly of saidfirst step to provideroomfor the insertion andextraction of said spikes.

2 In a rail joint comprising two abutting said sole-plate having at eachside of the .cen-

ter-line thereof two rows of apertures adapted to receive said spikes,the inner'rovvs of spikes serving to secure together the splicebars tothe sole-plate and the outer rows of spikes serving to hold thesole-plate to the rail-ties, said stiffening-rib being positionedintermediate an inner and an outer row of apertures. I

In testimony I I signature.

JAMES COYN'E,

hereof two splice-bars and holding down and par-

